live in new york, wendy gillette, abc news. muhammad and brandi, back to you. >> thanks, wendy. >>> here's a look ahead at the nation's weather. winter watches and warnings are in effect for almost half of the country. the northeast could see a rain/snow mix for the even commute before it turns all winter rain. wet from san francisco all the way to seattle. >> it is extremely cold in the middle of the nation. dallas is 38 degrees instead of the usual 55. minneapolis doesn't even get out of the teens. in the meantime, honolulu and miami, you're in the 80s. but there could be rain in both of those cities. chicago, detroit and indianapolis are in the 30s. >>> to our other top story this morning. president obama is cutting his vacation short and heading back to the white house. >> he's hoping to make a last-ditch compromise with lawmakers to try to avoid that fiscal cliff. reena ninan is traveling with the president. she joins us from honolulu, hawaii. reena, has there been any movement to reach a compromise here? >> reporter: it d